Almeria 3-1 Rayo Vallecano
Almeria had not scored since star striker Umar Sadiq departed the club for Real Sociedad, but at the fifth time of asking, they broke that run emphatically.
Tipped as an important match between two teams that will be hoping to avoid relegation this season, it was a mistake that broke the deadlock early on. Veteran goalkeeper Diego Lopez was making his first start of the season for Rayo – he did not vindicate Andoni Iraola’s decision after gifting the ball to Adrian Embarba. He was floored by the defender, but the ball broke to Luca Robertone, who rolled the ball in for the opener.
Almeria grew in confidence from there on and began moving forward with conviction. Not long after, Srdan Babic got on the end of a corner to head down into the corner. The perfect first half was complete when Bilal Toure notched a third with a tidy finish into the corner.
Rayo had been outfought, outthought and outplayed in the first period and fortunately they were not as disastrous defensively in the first period. They did not manage much in the way of response though.
The hosts were managing the game well until the last five minutes, when Embarba was shown a second yellow for a high boot causing a crisis of confidence. Just before, Alejandro Catena had headed in from a set-piece, but it was the sending off that caused the uncertainty. Ivan Balliu and Radamel Falcao both came close in the eight minutes of stoppage time, while Bebe cracked the bar from distance.
Ultimately, Almeria did secure a crucial win though. The three points lift them out of the relegation zone – dropping Sevilla into it – up to 14th with their second win of the season. It eases the pressure on manager Rubi. Rayo remain 10th, three points ahead of the victors.
